HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: YAF2
Cytogenetic location: 12q12 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 12:42,157,104-42,238,248 (from NCBI)
Using YY1 (600013) as bait in a yeast 2-hybrid screen, Kalenik et al. (1997) cloned YAF2 from a muscle cDNA library. The deduced 180-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of about 20 kD. It contains an N-terminal C2-X10-C2-type zinc finger motif, where X is any amino acid, and a putative nuclear localization signal. YAF2 shares limited sequence homology with several nucleoporins and RAN (601179)-binding protein-2 (RANBP2; 601181).
By Northern blot analysis, Sawa et al. (2002) detected YAF2 expression in many tissues, with highest expression in heart and skeletal muscle. They noted homology between YAF2 and RYBP (607535), particularly within their N-terminal domains.
Kalenik et al. (1997) determined that the first 2 zinc fingers of YY1 bind YAF2. YAF2 mRNA increased during the in vitro differentiation of rat skeletal and cardiac muscle cells, in contrast to the downregulation of YY1. Overexpression of YAF2 in mouse myoblast cells stimulated myogenic promoter activity. Cotransfection and expression of YY1 in these cells reversed the stimulatory effect of YAF2. YAF2 also increased the proteolytic cleavage of YY1 by the calcium-activated protease m-calpain (see 114170).
By cotransfection and expression of YAF2, GABPA (600609), and GABPB (600610) in insect cells, Sawa et al. (2002) determined that YAF2 is a transcriptional coactivator for GABP.
Gross (2014) mapped the YAF2 gene to chromosome 12q12 based on an alignment of the YAF2 sequence (GenBank BC037777) with the genomic sequence (GRCh38).
Gross, M. B. Personal Communication. Baltimore, Md. 7/25/2014.
Kalenik, J. L., Chen, D., Bradley, M. E., Chen, S.-J., Lee, T.-C. Yeast two-hybrid cloning of a novel zinc finger protein that interacts with the multifunctional transcription factor YY1. Nucleic Acids Res. 25: 843-849, 1997. [PubMed: 9016636] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/25.4.843]
Sawa, C., Yoshikawa, T., Matsuda-Suzuki, F., Delehouzee, S., Goto, M., Watanabe, H., Sawada, J., Kataoka, K., Handa, H. YEAF1/RYBP and YAF-2 are functionally distinct members of a cofactor family for the YY1 and E4TF1/hGABP transcription factors. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 22484-22490, 2002. [PubMed: 11953439] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M203060200]